Tubular jib crane structure



Oct. 8, 1963 N; E. KERRIDGE 3,106,298

TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE Filed June 30, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 8, 1963 ER I E 3,106,298

TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE Filed Jime 30, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY 5am? 1953 N. E. KERRIDGE 3,

TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE Filed June 50, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 A ga t-MA 90\ Maw W d/W1 .Br MW 2 Mud Mu Oct. 8, 1963 N. E. KERRIDGE TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Shea 4 Filed June 30, 1960 Oct. 8, 1963 N. E. KERRIDGE TUBULAR JIB CRANE SIfRUCTURE e Shets-Sheet 5 Filed June 30, 1960 Oct. 8, 1963 N. E. KERRIDGE TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 30, 1960 United States Patent Oil 3,106,298 TUBULAR JIB CRANE STRUCTURE Norman Edward Kerridge, Salford, near Bristol, England,

assignor to Stothert '& Pitt, Limited, Bath, Somerset,

England, a corporation of the United Kingdom Filed June 30, 1960, Ser. No. 39,834 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 30, 1959 9 Claims. (Cl. 212-43) This invention relates to a jib crane structure. More particularly it is concerned with a travelling jib crane of the type commonly used as a dock-side crane and comprising a truck and a superstructure rotatably carried on the truck, on which superstructure the jib is mounted for luiiing movements.

According to the present invention the mounting for the superstructure comprises a tubular column which is rotatably mounted in a supporting truck, the column tube being reinforced internally by a series of radially arranged stretchers which are united at their centres to a central strut, successive stretchers being staggered so as to formthe steps to a rising staircase.

from the bottom to the top of the tube, not only serve as a means of reinforcing the tube to impart the necessary stability but at the same time provide a staircase wh1ch can be used to give access from e.g. a half-way platform on the truck to the interior of the machinery housing and from there to the drivers cabin in the superstructure.

According to a further feature of the invention the truck for the superstructureis made up of at least three components, each component including a leg of tubular construction, a single ringunit to which all the leg components are secured at their upper ends and a bracket part by which the leg components are united to one another at a mid-way point characterised in that the leg components and brackets are formed with jointing flanges whereby the brackets are connected to one another and theleg components to the ring unit by bolting, .the bolt Work being arranged internally of the structure.

In one construction in accordance with the inventionthe truck" is built up of four leg components, each leg component comprising a lower portion which extends vertically and an upper portion set at an angle to the vertical. j l

The leg brackets maybe of cantilever construction so a 2 also consisting of a tube.

that when interconnected at a central point the four brackets provide the four limbs to a cruciform arch. The

vertical side plates of each leg'bracket may be arranged at a divergentangle to one another, the brackets at their inner ends being cutaway and being joined by two face is by means of the spiral staircase within the column tube.

. The invention: is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a crane structure embodying the invention;

FIGURE 1(1)) is a side elevation of the lower part of the crane structure, viewed from the same side as FIG- URE 1 the dot-dash lines respectively at the bottom of FIGURE 1 and the top of FIGURE 1" indicating the separation of the illustrations of the upper and lower parts of the structure and indicating vertical continuity of the upper and lower parts of the actual structure;

FIGURES 2 and 2 ane elevations at right angles respectively to FIGURES 1 and 1 FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 33 of FIGURE 2 FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIG- URE 2 FIGURE 6 is a horizontal section of a column struc ture on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 7 is a horizontal section of a leg bracket structure on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 1" Referring to the drawings there is shown a crane structure comprising a base, as illustrated a travelling truck, indicated generally at T, mounted on four bogies B. Rotatably supported by the truck T is a tubular column indicated generally at P, on which the apex or superstructure A is carried. J indicates the jib. Drivers cabin D and machinery housing M are on a platform at the top of the tube P.

The tubular column of this invention is constructed from a long outer cylinder or tube 1 and a central strut Connecting the inner and outer tubes 1 and 2 are a series of radially arranged stretchers 3, successive'stretchers being staggered so as to form the steps to a rising staircase by which access is had to and from the machinery housing as hereinafter described.

At its lower end the tube '1 is closed by a base plate 4, to which the strut 2 extends, mounted on a footstep hearing 6. As can be seen from FIGURE 6, the stretchers consist of sector-shaped plates 3 which are welded at their outer ends to the inner surface of the tube *1 and at their inner ends to the outside face of the central strut or column 2.

It will be seen that successive stretcher plates in addition to being staggered are set at an angle toone another so as to form a spiral staircase, entrance to the staircase being at the bottom of the tube 1 The spiral staircase may be interrupted by a landing or platform -by.including at the desired level a halfcircular plate.

t The tube 1 at its upper end is secured to the underside of the machinery bed 10, which carries the apex structure, and machinery housing M, and drivers cabin D. The machinery bed 10 consists of spaced plates 11, 12, a central opening 12 being cut in the plate 12' to receive the upper end of the tube 1.

The truck is built up from four tubular legs 13, which at their lower ends, rise vertically and have secured thereto bracket'parts 14., Each of the four legs 13 is supported at its lower end by means of a bogie B; each bogie comprises a carriage structure 16 mounted on a pair of bogie wheels 17, two ofthe bogies'being driven. The carriage 16 is formed with a top flat 18 on which are lugs'19 mountinga spindle 20 t'o support trunnion brackets 21 attached to a base plate 22 connected to lower ends of each leg 13.

The tubular legs 13 at their upper ends are convergent and are provided with top plates 23 by means of which the legs are bolted, as indicated at 24, to the bottom plate of a truck top ring 25 in the form of an annular platform. The top ring 25 is likewise of box formation, its inside wall 25 being set at an angle to the vertical so as to provide space to accommodate the roller ring and rollers on the pintle tube.

Fast on the upper plate of the truck top ring 25 is a slew gear ring 26, in driving engagement with the teeth on the outer surface of which ring 26 is a pinion 28 fast on the lower end of a slew gear drive 29.

The leg brackets 14 are of cantilever construction so that when secured to one another they constitute the four limbs to what, in plan, is a cruciform arch. Each leg bracket 14 is built up of vertical side plates 30 arranged at a divergent angle to one another, a top plate 31 and an arch-shaped bottom plate 32, the four plates 3032 being united by welding along their edges to the tubular legs 13. The side plates 30 at their inner ends are cut away and are joined to one another by face plates 34 so that, as seen in plan, the face plates subtend an angle a at the centre of 90, which enables the four brackets to nest one against the other.

The abutting face plates of adjacent leg brackets are secured to one another by bolts 35 the points of intersection of the four joint planes coinciding with the central vertical axis of the truck. The cruciform structure so formed provides a base on which is mounted an intermediate railed platform 36, access to the platform from ground level being my means of a ladder 37 fast at its lower end to one of the legs while its upper end leads on to a projecting fiy-walk 38. Access from the railed platform 36 to the superstructure is by means of the spiral staircase.

The superstructure includes the machinery housing M built up on the top bed so that the whole will revolve with the tubular column P to which the bed 10 is made fast. The bed 10 includes an overhanging platform 10' for the drivers cabin D which is constructed of resin bonded glass fibre on a steel frame.

Immediately beneath the machinery bed 10 and secured to the tube 1 is a roller mounting plate 41 (see FIGURE 4) having three adjustably mounted breast rollers 42 for engagement with a roller path 43 provided on the inside of the slew ring 26.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 the platform It) has secured thereto an apex structure or tower comprising main uprights 50 and support stays 51, also formed of tubular members. The apex structure has split bracket rings 52 on which are trunnion bearings supporting a cross shaft 53 integral with the jib I and by means of which it is pivotally suspended. At the top of the tower 50, 51 is a single spindle mounting sheave 55 for the hook rope. For the purpose of maintenance the tower is provided with a top platform 56, access to which is by means of a ladder 66 from the interior of the machinery housing to an intermediate ladder 59, a platform 58 and thence by a third ladder 57.

The main components 50, 51 of the apex structure are of tubular construction and in addition the jib I is built up of three sections of welded fabrication, each section consisting of four main tubular members reinforced by cross braces. The two forward sections are bolted together and to the rear section 62, to which are attached counterbalance weights 65.

As can be seen from FIGURE 3, the counterbalance weights 65 are of triangular shape so that they lie inside the path swept out by the platform 10 and at the same time give the maximum movement when lufiing, with minimum weight and tail radius.

Lufiing of the jib is by a single hydraulic ram R located centrally of the jib, the cylinder being carried in a trunnion mounting on the apex structure. The ram which is the subject of my co-pending United States application Serial No. 39,835, filed June 30, 1960, now Patent No. 3,082,746, ensures that, although the driver controls the lufiing speeds, there is always smooth acceleration and deceleration of the jib in all positions and whatever the driver may do, sudden movements, which are liable to cause damage are impossible.

The form of joint, by which the leg brackets are secured to one another and at their upper ends to the top ring 25 enables most of the bolt work to be hidden. This constitutes an important advantage in that the bolts are not subjected to the weather. Similar remarks apply to the jib and apex structure.

It will be found that the welded construction of the crane of this invention also effects a considerable saving in weight and possesses many manufacturing advantages owing to the almost total elimination of bracing struts and girders as commonly used in this type of crane. Furthermore, the overall tubular design of the structure not only is pleasing to the eye but facilitates maintenance due to the virtually total enclosure of the bolt work and the ease with which external surface paintwork can be eifect ed. Furthermore, the area of the surface to be painted is appreciably reduced.

The expression tube or tubular construction used throughout the description and in the claims is to be construed broadly as comprising tubes of round or other section and thus to include a square box section.

What is claimed is:

l. A tubular column for rotatably supporting the jib mounting superstructure of a jib crane on the crane base, said column comprising a tube extending vertically between and being connected respectively to said superstructure and said base; a central strut arranged axially within said tube; and a series of radially arranged reenforcing elements in the form of sector shaped plates which are fixed at their outer ends to said tube and are fixed at their inner ends to said central strut whereby to reenforce said column, said reenforcing elements being staggered relatively to one another both in planes parallel to and planes transverse to the axis of said tube and said strut, whereby to form the steps of a spiral staircase by which access can be had to said superstructure.

2. A jib crane structure comprising a column as claimed in claim 1; a base having a plurality of legs of tubular construction; an annular platform to which the upper ends of said legs are secured; and a plurality of cantilever brackets secured to each leg and to each other, said annular platform being of box-section, and including a track ring, and rollers on said tube engageable with said track ring, and said cantilever brackets comprising divergent side plates joined by face plates, said face plates subtending angles at the centre so as together to form a cruciform joint.

3. A jib crane structure as claimed in claim 2, in which the connections between said annular platform, said legs and said cantilever brackets are solely by means of bolts, said bolts being arranged within the outer skin.

4. A jib crane structure of the travelling type, comprising a wheeled truck including a plurality of tubular leg members, an annular platform to which the upper ends of said legs are secured and a plurality of cantilever brackets secured to said legs and to each other to provide an intermediate platform, a superstructure mounted on said truck, said superstructure being capable of rotational slewing movement relative to said truck, a jib suspended for lufiing movements from said superstructure, and means for mounting said superstructure on said truck, said means comprising a thrust bearing on said intermediate platform, a tubular column connected to said superstructure and being vertically arranged in said truck with its lower end in engagement with said thrust bearing and with its upper end extending through said annular platform, said tubular column including an outer casing, a central strut arranged axially within said casing and a series of radially disposed stretcher plates arranged between said strut and said outer casing to impart rigidity to said casing, said plates being of sector shape and being staggered in both a horizontal and a vertical direction so as to form a spiral staircase by which access can be had to said superstructure.

5. A jib crane structure as claimed in claim 4, in which connection between said annular platform, said legs and said cantilever brackets is by means of bolts so arranged as to be enclosed within the outer ski 6. A jib crane structure as claimed in claim 5, in which said annular platform is of box-like construction and includes a track ring for engagement by guide rollers on said tubular column, and a toothed slewing ring for cooperation with a gearwheel on said superstructure.

7. A jib crane structure as claimed in claim 6, in which said superstructure includes an apexstructure of tubular construction on which said jib is suspended, lutfing of said jib being by means of a single hydraulicram, the cylinder of said ram being carried by a trunnion mounting on said apex structure.

8. A jib crane structure as claimed in claim 7, in which said jib comprises at least two components built up of tubular struts reinforced by cross bracing;

9. In a jib crane, a base structure having a plurality References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,188,686 Kersting et al. J an. 30, 1940 2,572,029 Huston Oct. 23, 1951 2,929,516 Fladmark Mar. 22, 19 60 FOREIGN PATENTS 183,196 Austria Sept. 10', 1955 742,368 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1955 1,015,201 Germany Sept. 5, 1957 

1. A TUBULAR COLUMN FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING THE JIB MOUNTING SUPERSTRUCTURE OF A JIB CRANE ON THE CRANE BASE, SAID COLUMN COMPRISING A TUBE EXTENDING VERTICALLY BETWEEN AND BEING CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID SUPERSTRUCTURE AND SAID BASE; A CENTRAL STRUT ARRANGED AXIALLY WITHIN SAID TUBE; AND A SERIES OF RADIALLY ARRANGED REENFORCING ELEMENTS IN THE FORM OF SECTOR SHAPED PLATES WHICH ARE FIXED AT THEIR OUTER ENDS TO SAID TUBE AND ARE FIXED AT THEIR INNER ENDS TO SAID CENTRAL STRUT WHEREBY TO REENFORCE SAID COLUMN, SAID REENFORCING ELEMENTS BEING STAGGERED RELATIVELY TO ONE ANOTHER BOTH IN PLANES PARALLEL TO AND PLANES TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE AND SAID STRUT, WHEREBY TO FORM THE STEPS OF A SPIRAL STAIRCASE BY WHICH ACCESS CAN BE HAD TO SAID SUPERSTRUCTURE. 